Term Project Guide:
Planning a Public Relations Campaign Imagine you are public relations consultants to a public, private, or not-for-profit organization. As teams of four, you plan (conceive, research, and develop) and present (try to sell) a realistic meaningful campaign proposal to the highest authority (authorities) of the organization. Your project should seek an improvement that is of genuine value to the stakeholders of the organization. It should be significant and not trivial or disruptive. Ideally, I would like to see that you address a real problem and try to sell the client organization on your plan. In developing your project, you will follow the Smith Model of Strategic PR Planning (also referenced in the course schedule) or another model if you find that much more compelling. You will complete the project in phases throughout the quarter. The timeline for submission and suggested format for the project are given here below. Timeline
1. Statement of Intent (proposal, one page, due Week 5) explaining
a. What you plan to accomplish in the project.
b. Why you think it isimportant c. How do you plan to go about doing research and completing the project?
2. Interim reports due for periodic review in class(see the course schedule).
3. Final report (paper and presentation due Week 15): Suggested Format
a. Topic (A specific thematic title)
b. Abstract (150 words)
c. Introduction (1-2 pages) i. Get attention ii. Briefly introduce what the project is all about.
iii. Briefly explain why it is significant.
iv. Briefly establish ethos (how did you go about doing the project, suggesting why people should trust you)
v. Preview the structure of the project
d. Theoretical Model (1-2 pages) i. Describe the planning model you have followed and why (Say why you found it useful).
e. The Campaign Plan (the body of your report; 15-25 pages)
i. Present your plan by systematically following the model you have chosen. If you follow the Smith model, which I recommend, you can methodically craft the plan by answering the questions outlined here for every step of the model.
ii. Examples of two student projects based on the Smith model and graded by Smith himself: Denny's Restaurant: Image-Boosting Campaign and National Endowment for the Arts: Visibility and Support. If you read closely, you can spot flaws in these reports. I trust your project reports will be better than these ones.
f. Reflection (about 2 pages)
i. Comment on what you, personally (everyone individually), have learned from your research in planning for the project and what this project has taught you about yourself as a budding public relations professional.
ii. Specify also the lessons for other learners in the field.
iii. Relate your learnings to the learning outcomes of the course. g. References i. Cite your research sources in the text of your paper in APA Style ii. References in the APA Style (see the Purdue Owl site for examples of APA citations and references) h. Appendices
i. Include an exhibit showing the proposed timeline of the project.
ii. Include a complete diary of your activities (the dates and times you met in class or outside class to research and discuss the project issues), contacts you have made, and your contact information (include phone numbers).